OTTAWA — The Harper government is launching a blitz to convince B.C. native leaders to support oilsands pipelines to the West Coast.

Those leaders said they will listen, but one said it appears to be a last-minute effort by the Harper government to fend off possible native lawsuits rather than the start of real consultation.

The steady stream of cabinet ministers and a team of top public servants from seven ministries — unprecedented, according to one native leader — will be in B.C. in the next few weeks, the apparent result of a consultant’s warning that First Nations are determined to opposed the Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan pipeline proposals.

That consultant, Vancouver lawyer Doug Eyford, was appointed by Harper in March.

“He’s been out here, on the ground, finding out what the mood is,” said Gordon Christie, director of the University of B.C.’s Indigenous Legal Studies Program. “I can’t imagine anything other than him going back and saying anything other than, ‘things are not looking good.’”

Ottawa won’t release Eyford’s report. But a letter from a top federal official to B.C. native leaders earlier this week hinted Ottawa has to do a better selling job.

Eyford’s meetings with those who could be affected by the pipelines “have highlighted the importance of engagement between senior government officials and First Nations, covering all aspects of the government’s plan for responsible resource development,” wrote Serge Dupont, deputy minister at Natural Resources Canada.

Vancouver Island NDP MP Jean Crowder said Harper is scrambling to win hearts and minds in anticipation of the federal Joint Review Panel (JRP) decision on Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline to Kitimat, due in December.

“He’s only got two years left in his mandate. If he doesn’t get cracking it isn’t going to happen before the next election,” she said.

“The (Eyford) report’s come to him and it says, ‘you guys have blown it, you haven’t built the relationship with First Nations.’ Harper looks at the calendar and says, ‘oops, I’ve only got two years left, and these things don’t move quickly,’ so now he’s flooding the region” with top officials.

But she said the response doesn’t come close to meeting the Supreme Court of Canada’s requirement to consult, accommodate and even compensate first nations for projects that infringe on aboriginal title to land and resources.

Grand Chief Ed John of the B.C. First Nations Summit said he welcomes a push by Ottawa to consult more broadly on oilsands pipelines. But he said the officials shouldn’t just stay in Vancouver, and should travel to areas like the north coast where there are concerns about possible tanker spills.

He also complained that Harper, who is in Vancouver Monday on an unrelated matter, has never met with West Coast leaders on B.C. turf since being elected in 2006.

“That’s a fundamental reality of this government and this prime minister, they are aloof to the needs and interests of First Nations in British Columbia.”

He said Harper needs to become engaged if he hopes to push the multi-billion-dollar natural resource projects.

“The governments of Canada and British Columbia need approval of first nations for their development proposals in this province. There’s absolutely no way around this,” he said.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, said he believes the Conservatives are anticipating a rejection of Northern Gateway by the JRP.

If that happens “we believe the Harper government would simply declare (Northern Gateway to be) in the national interest and overturn the Joint Review Panel recommendation,” Phillip said.

“At which time there would be a flurry of lawsuits … and the Harper government would rely on the consultation record as part of their legal defence — that’s possibly what’s happening here.”

But Grand Chief Doug Kelly of the Sto:lo Tribal Council said he doubts Ottawa is sending heavy hitters in hopes of proving to judges that Ottawa fulfilled its requirement to consult and accommodate. He noted that Dupont specifically states in his letter that the meetings aren’t intended to meet the Crown’s duty to consult.

Kelly said his people are anxious to get out of poverty and want to listen to economic development proposals, but added that some projects — he wouldn’t identify them — should be rejected from the outset due to the potential environmental damage.

UBC’s Christie said Ottawa appears to be recognizing that it must do more to win support from first nations than relying on the JRP process to assess aboriginal concerns.

“The feds seem to have thought they could rely on the JRP to satisfy, substantially, their duties to consult,” Christie told The Vancouver Sun.

“But now they see the resistance still there, and if anything as strong as ever, and are concerned that regardless of the extent to which they may have met their duties through the JRP process this is headed to a major showdown in the courts, should they press ahead.

“A last-minute push to try to win people over seems to be their response, after months of inactivity.”

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

Fear of native opposition to B.C. pipelines behind blitz of top officials

Video

Today's News

Best of Postmedia

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, ‘Come and see.’ And I saw, and behold a white elephant, and he that sat upon him had a crown, which he wore atop his fiery hair, and […]

Millennials, amirite? They’re nothing but Instagram-happy, emoji-LOL-ing, mannequin-challenging navelgazers. Or so the theory goes. How can they put their pants on one leg at a time, like everyone else, when they’re sausaged into skinny jeans? Yet when it comes to […]

An Ottawa judge has thrown out a romance fraud case that has taken more than four years to go to trial, ruling that the excessive delay has robbed the accused man of his right to a fair trial. Ontario Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips on Friday stayed the case against Kevin Bishop of Ottawa, who had […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.